श्रीवीरचन्द्र प्रभु (श्रीवीरभद्र)

Saṅkarṣaṇasya yo vyūhaḥ
payobdhi-śāyi-nāmakaḥ
sa eva vīracandro ’bhūt
caitanyābhinna-vigrahaḥ

Ksīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, the expansion of Saṅkarṣaṇa who sleeps on the ocean of milk, has become Vīracandra, the son of Nityānanda Prabhu. He is non-different from Caitanya Himself. (Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā 67)

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, is the origin of unlimited expansions and avatāras. His first expansion is the root Saṅkarṣaṇa or Balarāma. This same Balarāma appeared with Lord Caitanya as Nityānanda Prabhu. Balarāma’s expansion Mahā-Saṅkarṣaṇa has His abode in the Vaikuṇṭha planets, and He in turn expands as the puruṣāvatāras in the work of creation of the universe, first as the Kāraṇodakaśāyī Mahāviṣṇu, Who lies in the causal ocean, then as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, Who lies in the ocean within the individual universes, and finally as the Ksīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, Who not only lies in the ocean of milk, but is the director of the individual universe and is present as the indweller of every living being within the universe. Also known as Aniruddha, Ksīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu appeared in the course of Mahāprabhu Śrī Caitanya’s pastimes as Vīrabhadra Prabhu, the son of Lord Nityānanda Prabhu and His energy, Vasudhā Devī.

Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī has written in his Caitanya Caritāmṛta that Vīrabhadra is the best of all the branches of Nityānanda Prabhu’s trunk of the Caitanya tree.

The best of all of Nityānanda Prabhu’s branches is Vīrabhadra Gosvāmī. The sub-branches that grew out of him are unlimited in number. (Caitanya Caritāmṛta 1.11.56)

As with all Viṣṇu-tattvas, the three energies, Śrī, Bhū (Bhakti), and Nīlā (Līlā), were all present in Vīrabhadra Prabhu’s life. His Śrī śakti was named Śrīmatī, who appeared in the village of Jhamatpur in Hooghly district as the daughter of Yadunandana Ācārya and Vidyunmāla (Lakṣmī).

Yadunandana’s wife Lakṣmī was extremely chaste and devoted to her husband. Two daughters were born to her, Śrīmatī and Nārāyaṇī, both of whom were startlingly beautiful. At Jāhnavā’s behest, the fortunate brāhmaṇa gave both of his daughters in marriage to Vīrabhadra. (Bhakti-ratnākara 13.251-3)

Though Vīrabhadra Prabhu belongs to the category of Viṣṇu-tattva, he performed the pastimes like a devotee:

The greatest branch coming out of the trunk named Nityānanda Prabhu is Vīrabhadra Gosvāmī, who also has innumerable branches and subbranches. It is not possible to describe them all. Although he is the Lord of the creation, Vīrabhadra Prabhu presented himself as a great devotee. Though transcendental to all Vedic injunctions, he strictly followed the Vedic prescripts. Though the power of God was operating within him, out of sight to the world, he showed no pride. He is the main pillar holding up the edifice of devotional service to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. It is by the glorious mercy of Śrī Vīrabhadra Gosāñi that people all over the world now have the chance to chant the names of Caitanya and Nityānanda Prabhus. I, therefore, take shelter of the lotus feet of Vīrabhadra Gosvāmī for by his mercy all desires are fulfilled. (Caitanya Caritāmṛta 1.11.8-12)

Śrī Narahari Cakravartī Ṭhākura has written the following about Vīrabhadra Prabhu in his Bhakti-ratnākara:

Vīrabhadra Prabhu, the son of Nityānanda Prabhu, was an ocean of virtue and redeemer of the world. There is no limit to his glories, so who can sufficiently glorify him? He is famed as the branch of the Nityānanda Prabhu trunk. The root of all joy, he is sometimes known as Vīrabhadra and sometimes as Vīracandra. If anyone sees him even once he will give up everything and make his lotus feet his all-in-all. (Bhakti-ratnākara 9.413-4, 420-1)

Vīrabhadra Prabhu took initiation from Jāhnavā Devī. In his Anubhāṣya, Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura has written, “Vīrabhadra Gosvāmī had three disciples who were later celebrated as his sons—Gopījana-vallabha, Rāmakṛṣṇa and Rāmacandra. The youngest, Rāmacandra, belonged to Khardah. The eldest disciple, Gopījana-vallabha, was a resident of a village known as Lata, near the Mankor railway station in the district of Burdwan. The second, Ramakṛṣṇa lived near Maldah, in a village named Gayeshpur.”

According to the thirteenth chapter of the Bhakti-ratnākara, Vīrabhadra Prabhu took permission from his mother Vasudhā to go to Vṛndāvana. Upon arriving there, he performed Vraja-dhāma-parikramā with the blessings of Bhūgarbha Gosvāmī and Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī.

The old Śyāmasundara Temple in Khardah has a manuscript of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam that is hand copied by Vīrabhadra Prabhu. Some hold that this was actually written by Nityānanda Prabhu Himself. Vīrabhadra Prabhu personally brought a piece of stone from which the deities Śyāmasundara, Rādhāvallabha, and Nandadulāla became manifest. These deities are still worshipped in Khardah. The landing site on the Ganges where this stone was unloaded and brought on shore is known as Śyāmasundara Ghāṭa. Vīrabhadra Prabhu established the custom of celebrating the birth of Nityānanda Prabhu at Khardah. During his time, the offerings for the festival were prepared using 60 kgs of rice and equal amounts of other ingredients. The current managers of the Khardah temple have many other legends about the life of Vīrabhadra Gosvāmī.

The date of Vīrabhadra’s appearance is given as Kārtika kṛṣṇā navamī. The Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Abhidhāna, however, gives the date as Agrahāyaṇa śuklā caturdaśī.